With the meteoric rise of mobile devices, MS Windows as the dominant OS (once near 90%) has dropped to around a 25% market share. Ballmer was a disaster.

Regards,
GEWB

GEWB said:

With the meteoric rise of mobile devices, MS Windows as the dominant OS (once near 90%) has dropped to around a 25% market share. Ballmer was a disaster.

Regards,
GEWB

That's if you count desktop/laptops together with smartphones and tablets. Windows still has a dominating share in the desktop/laptop market.

King Arthur said:

GEWB said:

With the meteoric rise of mobile devices, MS Windows as the dominant OS (once near 90%) has dropped to around a 25% market share. Ballmer was a disaster.

Regards,
GEWB

That's if you count desktop/laptops together with smartphones and tablets. Windows still has a dominating share in the desktop/laptop market.

However, instead of enhancing their dominant position they released Windows 8 which went over so well they are now thinking of giving it way! Hopefully Windows 8 has finally taught Microsoft to listen to it's customers.

A follow up article on Mr. Ballmer's temperament:

Microsoft's Gates, Nadella, Bates Initially Opposed Nokia Acquisition; Said Microsoft Should Stick with Software

Former CEO Steve Ballmer threw a fit until he got his acquisition

...According to Bloomberg, Ballmer was set on getting his way when it came to the acquisition of Nokia's Devices and Services division last year, despite opposition from top-ranking execs in the company. Ballmer reportedly threw a fit that everyone could hear last year when he learned of their opposition.

DailyTech - Microsoft's Gates, Nadella, Bates Initially Opposed Nokia Acquisition; Said Microsoft Should Stick with Software

PaulGo said:

King Arthur said:

GEWB said:

With the meteoric rise of mobile devices, MS Windows as the dominant OS (once near 90%) has dropped to around a 25% market share. Ballmer was a disaster.

Regards,
GEWB

That's if you count desktop/laptops together with smartphones and tablets. Windows still has a dominating share in the desktop/laptop market.

However, instead of enhancing their dominant position they released Windows 8 which went over so well they are now thinking of giving it way! Hopefully Windows 8 has finally taught Microsoft to listen to it's customers.

Let's hope so, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

whs said:

In 20/20 hindsight I would be rich if I had known the stock market of today some 10 years ago. He made a cheap admission. In reality he was just not smart enogh to see what's coming.

Hi there

I could say the same - at 09.57 A.M Sat morning (10.57 UK time) if I knew what the results of all today's Horse Racing results in the UK would be for the 17.00 UK time finishes I'd also be VERY rich. However this is all a bit like Monday Morning Quarterbacking as they say in the USA.

Ms is a COMPANY - the BOARD is responsible for corporate decisions -- they get to vote on this stuff via Steering comittees and whatever else. S. Ballmer just doesn't mince into his office on a Monday morning and say right we are going to do this.

Actually in retrospect Ms might have been RIGHT (rather by accident than by intention). Most of their decent revenue streams come from the Corporate sector and in a few areas like Robotics (yes Ms is involved in this in quite a big way).

The Mobile phone market has essentially matured so providing a decent range of phones that doesn't require mega billions of investments which also uses parts of software and applications already developed makes perfect sense -- having parts of Ms office on a Windows phone is a great idea and continues to provide revenue from one of Ms's most successful products ever (Ms Office).

Ballmer had to go as his vision was too narrow - but anybody writing Ms off today does so exceedingly at their own peril. It's still a HIGHLY INVENTIVE company. The temporary kufuffle over Windows 8 / 8.1 is essentially a short term problem which will soon be relegated to history.

Cheers
jimbo